# Site-wide SEO settings Pages in search, the title pattern, verification codes and the checks that catch gaps. For: Everyone responsible for a site being found ## Pages in search The SEO tab lists every page with a switch for whether it appears in search results. Most pages should. The deliberate exceptions are thank-you pages, hold pages, and anything meant only for people who already have a link. Hidden pages stay reachable at their address; they are simply not offered to search engines, and the list marks them so they are not forgotten. Walkthrough: Reviewing which pages are in search (The SEO tab) 1. **One row per page**: The list is every page with the switch that decides whether search engines may show it. 2. **Most pages stay on**: The deliberate exceptions are thank-you pages, hold pages and anything reached only by a link. 3. **Hidden is marked**: A hidden page keeps working at its address; it is simply not offered, and the badge says so. 4. **Edit from here**: A page can be tuned from this list without opening the editor. 1. Open the SEO tab. 2. Scan the list for anything that should not be found. 3. Switch off precisely those pages, no more. ## The title pattern and defaults Writing titles page by page is the ideal; the title pattern is the safety net for everything else. It builds a title from each page's own name: {page} | {site} by default. Pages with a written title always win over the pattern. The default share image is what appears when a page with no image of its own is shared in a message. A tidy logo or photograph here makes every link look deliberate. Walkthrough: The title pattern and default share image (The SEO tab) 1. **The safety net**: {page} | {site} builds a title for pages with none of their own. A written title always wins. 2. **The default image**: Used when a page has no image of its own. One good default keeps every link looking deliberate. Note: Good defaults exist so a new page is never found titled "Untitled". A written title is still the better result. ## Business details, checks and verification Business details come first on the SEO tab: your type of business, a short description, address, opening hours and contact details, and a price range from £ for inexpensive to ££££ for the top end, or not set where it does not apply. Search engines use them for local results, so fill in only what is true and current. SEO checks look at every page of the draft for the ordinary mistakes: missing titles, duplicate descriptions, headings, images without descriptions, broken links and thin pages. Links to your shop and catalogue count as real pages of the website: the listing, categories, products with their own page, collections with a page, offers, search, the basket and the checkout. Findings are grouped into things to fix, improvements and tips; a site does not need every tip before it is published. Service area pages build local pages from a pattern you write once, and Google and Bing verification codes, under Search engines, confirm the site belongs to you. Walkthrough: Checks, business details and verification (The SEO tab) 1. **Business details first**: Type of business, address, hours, contact details: what search engines use for local results. 2. **Price range**: From £ for inexpensive to ££££ for the top end, or not set where it does not apply. 3. **The checks**: Missing titles, broken links, thin pages, images without descriptions. Shop and catalogue addresses count as real pages. 4. **A Pro feature**: The full checks belong to Pro, shown honestly rather than hidden. 5. **Verification codes**: Google and Bing codes confirm the site belongs to you, straight from this section. 6. **Service area pages**: Local pages built from a pattern you write once, for Pro accounts working across an area. - [ ] Every finding that matters is fixed or understood - [ ] Business details match the footer - [ ] Price range set, or left unset on purpose - [ ] Verification codes placed for the search engines in use - [ ] Service area pages checked after any change to the pattern ## Products and categories in search When the website has products, the SEO tab lists them with their categories under Products and categories, with a search box and the issues found for each, such as a missing description. Edit search details opens a panel for one product or category: its own title and description in search results, a preview of how it may look, and Hide from search engines. A hidden product or category stays on the website for anyone with the link; it is simply not offered to search engines. Right-click a row, or use its menu, to edit the search details, open the product or category, or open it on the website. The shop guides cover everything else about products. Walkthrough: Products and categories on the SEO tab (The SEO tab) 1. **One list for the shop**: Every product and category, with the issues found for each. Edit search details sets its own title and description, or hides it from search engines. 2. **Hidden is not gone**: Like a hidden page, a hidden product stays on the website for anyone with the link. ## Do SEO checks change anything on their own? No. They find and explain; every change is made by you, and page switches are off until you set them. ## Are service area pages available on every plan? They are a Pro feature, like the full checks and business details. ## Do products need their own search titles? They work without, using the product name and description. A written title and description for the products that matter most usually earns more clicks. ## Related guides - [Add products](/help/shop/add-products) - [Search titles and descriptions](/help/seo/search-titles-and-descriptions) - [Redirects and sitemaps](/help/seo/redirects-and-sitemaps) --- CubeSites is a trading name of Cube Systems Limited, part of Crushed Ice Group. Registered in England and Wales, company number 17220899. Registered office: Unit 11, Olney Business Park, Osier Way, Olney, Buckinghamshire, MK46 5FP. ICO registration number ZC216972. Contact: hello@cubesites.co.uk | 01234 672 617 | https://cubesites.co.uk/contact